Chapter 477: Duan Ru Feng

Duan Ling Tian's breathing became hurried when he heard what the Patriarch, Duan Ru Huo, had said.

In the entire world, there seemed to be only a single person that was able to be called third brother by Duan Ru Huo...

Duan Ru Feng!

In other words, that deadbeat dad of his.

Not to mention he was a person who'd crossed over from the earth and didn't have any feelings to the deadbeat dad he'd never met, even if it was the 'Duan Ling Tian' from before, he didn't have any memories of that deadbeat dad of his.

To Duan Ling Tian, his Father was too far away, too unreal.

However, a person that went missing for an entire 23 years had appeared suddenly, and it still caused Duan Ling Tian to be shocked and feel disbelief.

"Fourth Uncle, is it really my Father?" Duan Ling Tian looked at Duan Ru Hong, and he couldn't help but ask.

He felt unprecedentedly perturbed.

Duan Ru Hong smiled lightly. "Wouldn't you know if he's your Father or not by going in and taking a look?"

Only until Duan Ling Tian walked into the Audience Hall did he know what Duan Ru Hong's words meant...

Within the Audience Hall, a young man with a tall figure stood facing the Duan Clan's Patriarch, Duan Ru Huo.

Presently, when they heard the sound of footsteps, the two of them turned towards the footsteps at almost the exact same time.

Duan Ling Tian's gaze descended completely on the young man.

The young man wore azure clothes, with hair that was casually scattered on his shoulders, and his face was handsome and exceedingly clean.

The young man had sword shaped brows and starry eyes, a firm face that was distinct and angular, and it seemed as if it was cut out with a blade.

Most surprising to Duan Ling Tian was the young man's appearance was actually 60% or 70% similar to him...

At the same time, when facing this young man, a type of feeling of being connected by blood actually arose within his heart without reason nor rhyme.

In this instant, no words were required as Duan Ling Tian had already confirmed the identity of this young man.

Duan Ru Feng!

His deadbeat dad.

The husband his mother thought of day and night.

When Duan Ling Tian was looking at Duan Ru Feng, Duan Ru Feng was looking at him as well.

Duan Ling Tian was able to notice traces of excitement contained within Duan Ru Feng's eyes...

That was excitement that came from the heart.

"You... You're Tian?" Duan Ru Feng took large strides forward, arriving before Duan Ling Tian in only a few steps, then he extended his hand to touch Duan Ling Tian's face.

If it was anyone else, Duan Ling Tian would have kicked him flying long ago...

Whereas at this moment, Duan Ling Tian didn't do this, and instead allowed Duan Ru Feng to touch his face.

For an unknown reason, a type of warm feeling had suddenly surged out from his heart.

This feeling grew stronger and stronger!

"Father..." At this moment, even Duan Ling Tian never imagined that he would directly open his mouth and acknowledge Duan Ru Feng as his father.

After all, at the instant he saw Duan Ru Feng, he had resentment towards Duan Ru Feng.

Resenting Duan Ling Tian for not returning sooner and caused his mother to suffer so much pain.

Presently, all this was slightly unexpected, and it was difficult for him to fathom.

It was as if his subconscious was urging him to do this.

"You... What did you call me just now? You... You called me Father?" Duan Ru Feng's face was filled with excitement and pleasant surprise. Obviously, he never expected that this son who he'd never seen in the past would directly acknowledge him.

After all, during all these years, he had a guilty conscience towards Duan Ling Tian.

Even if Duan Ling Tian was unwilling to recognize him as his Father, he wouldn't be surprised, and he wouldn't blame Duan Ling Tian.

For the past 20 plus years, he'd never carried out the duties of a father.

"Could it be that you aren't my father?" Duan Ling Tian couldn't help but be stunned when he heard Duan Ru Feng.

"No... No! I'm your Father, I am your father!" Duan Ru Feng was slightly unable to express himself properly as he was deeply afraid that Duan Ling Tian wouldn't recognize him as his Father.

Duan Ling Tian started to smile.

However, his smile completely froze in next to no time.

When his Spiritual Force touched Duan Ru Feng, he actually noticed that there was no Origin Energy within Duan Ru Feng's body, and when his Spiritual Force fused into Duan Ru Feng's Dantian, he didn't notice even a shred of Origin Energy.

"Father, you... Your Origin Energy..." Duan Ling Tian's face went pale.

Although his Spiritual Force didn't notice any traces of damage on Duan Ru Feng's Dantian, Duan Ru Feng's body did indeed not have a trace of Origin Energy.

After all, Duan Ru Feng was already a Nascent Soul Stage martial artist 23 years ago.

Now that 23 years had passed.

Logically speaking, with the natural talent that Duan Ru Feng displayer during that time, it wasn't difficult for his cultivation to break through to the Void Initiation Stage.

But now, not only was Duan Ru Feng not a Nascent Soul Stage martial artist, even his Origin Energy had completely vanished.

Of course, it wasn't that Duan Ling Tian had never thought that Duan Ru Feng's cultivation might have advanced to the Void Interpretation Stage due to some sort of fortuitous encounter...

However, even if he was a Void Interpretation Stage expert, even if Duan Ling Tian wasn't able to see through the depth of his cultivation, Duan Ling Tian would still be able to sense the Origin Energy in his body.

Now, there wasn't a single trace of Origin Energy in Duan Ru Feng's body.

The outcome that Duan Ling Tian detected was that Duan Ru Feng was only a ninth level Body Tempering Stage martial artist that hadn't developed his Origin Energy!

This was no difference than a martial artist whose Dantian had been crippled.

At this moment, Duan Ling Tian faintly realized that perhaps, it was related to the reason his deadbeat dad had gone missing for many years.

The facts proved that Duan Ling Tian's guess wasn't wrong.

"My Origin Energy doesn't exist anymore..." Duan Ru Feng sighed. "That year, I went to the Swamp of Death to find a Serene Epiphyllum for your mother and you, and during my journey, an unexpected event occurred... Because of some reasons, it caused me to lose control of myself, and I had no way of returning to look for you and your mother!"

As he spoke up to here, a cold light flashed within Duan Ru Feng's eyes. "If it wasn't for the sake of being able to return and look for you and your mother, I would have chosen to destroy myself with him... I would have entirely not needed to have been ordered about by him for many years and linger on alive until today!"

At this moment, Duan Ling Tian was able to feel the ghastly coldness that was contained in Duan Ru Feng's tone.

That person?

Duan Ling Tian's face sank and asked. "Father, who is that person? I'll go take revenge for you!"

"There's no need." Duan Ru Feng shook his head.

Duan Ling Tian was instantly bewildered.

Duan Ru Feng explained. "His evil had already been rewarded with evil, and he had already been completely obliterated... Otherwise, Father might not be able to return and look for you and your mother."

"Then he really got off lightly." Duan Ling Tian grunted coldly, and his eyes contained awe-inspiring coldness.

Not only did that person destroy his father, but he'd even caused his mother to be alone and without anyone to rely on for many years...

He wished for nothing more than to tear that person into a thousand pieces!

"No matter what, it's a happy thing that you two father and son are able to reunite once again." Duan Ru Huo, who'd always been silently standing at the side, spoke slowly.

"Yeah, Third Brother. Even if you don't have your cultivation, you still have an extraordinary son... In the future, you just have to properly enjoy your life of leisure." Duan Ru Hong nodded.

Duan Ru Feng nodded then he looked at Duan Ling Tian with a guilty expression. "Tian, the Patriarch has told me about your past experiences... You and your mother have suffered these past few years, and all this was because of Father."

"Father, don't mention things that have passed anymore. It's already a great fortune amongst misfortune that you're able to return this time... I think that Mother would surely be exceedingly happy if she sees you." Duan Ling Tian persuaded Duan Ru Feng, and as he finished speaking, he revealed a smile.

Duan Ru Feng's figure trembled when he heard this.

Before long, Duan Ling Tian bid his farewells to Duan Ru Huo and Duan Ru Hong, then left the Duan Clan Estate with Duan Ru Feng.

On the way, Duan Ling Tian intended to ask Duan Ru Feng about his exact experiences during these 20 over years.

However, he quickly noticed that Duan Ru Feng wasn't too willing to mention that piece of experience.

"Looking at Father's current attitude... I can imagine that it's surely an experience that caused one to be unwilling to recall it." Duan Ling Tian thought in his heart, and at the same time, he didn't ask any more.

It wasn't long before Duan Ling Tian brought Duan Ru Feng back to his own courtyard house.

"Young Master, this is..." Jing Ru looked at Duan Ru Feng who was beside Duan Ling Tian, and she was completely stunned.

Because, Duan Ru Feng was too similar in appearance to Duan Ling Tian.

Duan Ling Tian lightly smiled as he said, "Jing Ru, this is my Father."

Jing Ru was shocked, and at the same time she slightly lost her composure, she hurriedly bowed to Duan Ru Feng. "Greetings, Lord."

According to her knowledge, didn't the Young Master's Father go missing over 20 years ago?

It was shocking that he'd suddenly returned.

"Father, she's Jing Ru, the Manager of my house," Duan Ling Tian said to Duan Ru Feng.

Duan Ru Feng lightly smiled as he nodded to Jing Ru, but his gaze quickly moved from Jing Ru and swept throughout the courtyard house.

Jing Ru guessed what Duan Ru Feng was looked for and said with a light smile, "Lord, the Madam is in the rear courtyard."

"Rear courtyard?" Duan Ru Feng's eyes lit up, his handsome and firm face was excited to the point it started trembling lightly...

"Father, follow me." Duan Ling Tian brought Duan Ru Feng to the rear courtyard.

In the rear courtyard, a graceful and beautiful figure stood in the distance as she watered the plants, and the view of her back was like a picture, causing one's eyes to light up.

"Tian, you've returned?" The woman slowly turned around when she heard the footsteps. "I heard Jing Ru say that early in the morning today, you..."

The woman didn't finish speaking because she was completely dumbstruck at this moment.

The figure that had appeared countless times in her dreams over the past 20 plus years had actually appeared before her eyes...

It was so real, yet so illusory.

"Brother Feng... I... I'm not dreaming, right?" The woman's gaze completely disregarded Duan Ling Tian and descended onto Duan Ru Feng who was beside Duan Ling Tian, and she was extremely excited.

The woman's delicate figure trembled intensely, and her eyes were filled with anxiety, as she was extremely afraid that the scene before her eyes was only a dream.

She even didn't have the courage to stretch out her hand to pinch herself and confirm if she was dreaming or not.

Because once it fell through, it would also mean that she would awaken from the dream...

She wasn't willing to cut short this happy moment.

Even if this was only a dream, she similarly hoped that she would never awaken from this dream, she hoped that this moment could become eternal.

At this moment, Duan Ru Feng's body was lightly trembling as well.

His feelings were exactly the same to the woman before his eyes. "Rou... Rou..."

"Mother!" When he saw this deadbeat dad of his, Duan Ru Feng, standing on the spot and not making a move after a long time, Duan Ling Tian shook his head and smiled, then shouted out. "You aren't dreaming... Father has returned! Your intuition wasn't wrong all along! Father didn't die, he really didn't die."

After he finished speaking, Duan Ling Tian noticed that Duan Ru Feng and Li Rou both seemed as if they'd awoken from a dream and dashed towards each other. He couldn't help but shake his head and smile, then he turned around and left the rear courtyard.